Two new West Side developments take advantage of proximity to Lake Erie (with photo gallery)

From atop the Shoreway, a new conversion of an old factory and warehouse building to apartments, the famous Lakewood, Ohio, Gold Coast provides a backdrop. Shoreway is under construction at 1200 W. 76th St., Cleveland, OH.

A constant refrain among Northeast Ohioans is that the city of Cleveland does not do enough with its lakefront.

That usually applies to downtown’s waterfront, but it’s also true of city neighborhoods. However, things are about to change in a big way on the city’s West Side, as two new apartment developments are under way that will offer lakefront views to their tenants.

One is the Shoreway, 1200 W. 76th St., which is installing 45 apartments in a one-time factory and former warehouse that overlooks Edgewater Beach of the Cleveland Metroparks.

The four-story building stands next to the pedestrian tunnel connecting the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood to Edgewater Park. The building began life in 1918 as the Globe Machine & Stamping Co. and later became a warehouse for Pat Catan’s before the $14 million redo began last year.

The other development, less than two miles east, is more visible. It’s a four-story building that is being completed at 3107 Detroit Ave. that also looks across the Shoreway to the lake — in this case, the busy working waterfront of the near West Side. It takes its name, Mariner’s Watch, from a former maritime chandlery on the site that used to serve waterfront workers and sailors, according to developer Brian Koch.

The design of Mariner’s Watch takes advantage of the lakefront views, with about half its units looking directly at the water. All units have patios or balconies, Koch said. The penthouse level offers huge, oversized porches that wrap around the corners of the building to view the city and lake on its north side. It boasts views of Ohio City and downtown on its south side.

Although Koch appreciates the lakefront side of the building, like most developers he insists the structure has no bad views. Indeed, the eastern end of the building not only looks at Cleveland’s skyscrapers but also at the landmark Ohio City Fire Station, now part of the newly developed Hingetown neighborhood.

The top floor of the northeast corner of Mariner’s Watch will be devoted to a fitness center with views of the city and lake. The 62-unit project is costing more than $8 million to develop.

Meantime, the Shoreway is going in across West 76th from the Battery Park townhouse development. Besides being within a short walk of Edgewater Beach, the building’s top floor will serve as a patio for the building, according to Tracy Green, a partner in the Shoreway with the Catanzarite family of Pat Catan’s fame.

The Shoreway’s fitness center also is oriented to offer water views. The suites offer 19-foot tall ceilings and huge banks of windows looking out on the city and the lake, contemporary kitchens, exposed brick and polished concrete floors.

The Shoreway will include a 3,000-square-foot retail shop with food offerings, Green said.

These rooms with views fall in the high-rent range. The Shoreway’s suites range from $1,190 to more than $2,000 monthly, depending on the size and location of the suite. At Mariner’s Watch, suites range from $1,200 to more than $4, 000, and also varies according to the size and location of the suite.

Mariner’s Watch will be ready to sail in October. The Shoreway opens Aug. 1; 70% of its suites already are leased.

However, consider these projects more of a beginning than an end. More apartment developments are in the works in both Ohio City and Detroit Shoreway, including sites along the Westinghouse curve of the Shoreway.

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